A look back at Ubisoft's titles

Latest Technology News

Steve Tilley, QMI Agency

Oct 25, 2012

, Last Updated: 2:53 PM ET

Video games are a major part of the entertainment biz, and few companies play harder in that realm than Ubisoft. The French video games giant is gearing up for the Oct. 30 release of the made-in-Montreal Assassin's Creed III, its biggest title to date. The company also signed a deal this week to bring Assassin's Creed to the big screen, in a movie starring Michael Fassbender (Prometheus, X-Men: First Class) as the historical hitman. Here's a look at some of the digital delights from Ubisoft's 25-year history.

Zombi (1989)

Formed in the mid-'80s as a game publisher, Ubisoft started making its own games in 1989, beginning with this undead action title. A reboot, Zombi U, comes out next month for Nintendo's new Wii U console.

Rayman (1995)

This flop-haired, big-nosed and oddly limbless hero was Ubisoft's answer to Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, and has starred in 10 games to date, including last year's Rayman Origins.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001)

Near-future military shooters inspired by the works of author Tom Clancy, the Ghost Recon games - including this year's Ghost Recon Future Soldier - feature a more deliberate pace than most gun-heavy blow-em-ups.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002)

Another Clancy-inspired series, this one follows the exploits of lethal super-spy Sam Fisher, voiced by actor Michael Ironside. Next year's (Ironside-less) Splinter Cell Blacklist is being developed by Ubisoft Toronto.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (2003)

The third franchise in the Tom Clancy trinity, the Rainbow Six counter-terrorism games entered the Ubisoft family when the company bought Clancy's game development studio, Red Storm Entertainment.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003)

This modern reboot of a classic computer game spawned another long-running and beloved series, and was the basis of the (not quite so beloved) 2010 Jake Gyllenhaal movie of the same name.

Far Cry (2004)

Each instalment in this open-world action game series pits one man against a large and hostile environment. Far Cry 3, which has been generating tons of buzz, is set for release in December.

Imagine: Babyz (2007)

One of the first games in Ubisoft's prolific Imagine series (40-plus titles and counting), it's scorned by hardcore gamers but popular among its intended audience of tween girls. And adult male weirdos.

Rayman Raving Rabbids (2008)

This Rayman spin-off series became so popular on its own that it eventually dropped the Rayman name. The title of the French version of this game translates to "Rayman versus the moronic rabbits."

Just Dance (2009)

This dance-mimicking party game made its debut on the Nintendo Wii, with sequels (including this month's Just Dance 4) also landing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It remains Ubisoft's best-selling series.

Driver: San Francisco (2011)

The long-running Driver franchise was taken over by Ubisoft with 2007's poorly received Driver: Parallel Lines, but Driver: San Francisco's novel body-hopping feature made it a hit with players.

Assassin's Creed III (2012)

A present-day man relives the memories of his assassin ancestors in this (sort of) historically accurate action series, which has visited the Crusades, the Italian Renaissance and now the American Revolution.